Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, second right, speaks alongside President Trump before the signing of a funding bill. How else to explain his persistent claim there’s something sinister and nefarious about the way California casts and counts its election ballots? AdvertisementWith an apparent eye toward rigging the 2026 midterm election, Trump suggested Republicans should “take over the voting” in at least “15 places,” which, presumably, would all be Democratic strongholds. I mean, they hold the elections open for weeks after election day,” Johnson told reporters. The state allows those ballots to arrive and be counted up to seven days after the election, so long as they are postmarked on or before election day.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 11, 2026 19:01 UTC